Refrigerator



.Fano l, 1929o y ,696,956

W. A. INMAN- REFRI GERATOR vFiled Jan. 24. 1927 WI THE'. .S5515 Patented Jan. 1, 1.929.

PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER ANDREW INMAN, F WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS.

nErnrGEnATon.

Application filed January 24, 1927. Serial No. 163,160.

vide a refrigerator including a reserve icev supply by which the ice compartment may be kept filled so as tosnecessitate only infrequent servicing.

A further object is to provide a refrigerator including a cooling compartment having an extensive air-cooling surface, presenting low resistance to the passage of circulating air.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forthy and,

-more particularly defined by the annexed claims. v

In the accompanying drawings v y Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a refrigerator embodying the' invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of an ice-receiving baiiie, and j Fig. 4 is a top plan view yof a modified form of refrigerating device.

In these drawings, the numeral 10 designates a refrigerator cabinet including a provision compartment l1 having the usual apertured shelves 12. A vertical baliie 13 separates the provision compartment from va laterally adjacent cooling compartment 14, and the ends of the baiiie are spaced from the tcp and bottom of the provision compartment to permit circulation ofk air currents between the compartments, as heref inafter described. The cooling compartment 14 includes a bottom plate 15 spaced above the bottom wall of the provision compartment and having an air opening 16 surrounded by an upstanding flange 17 to prevent the dripping of Water from the cooling compartment vinto the provision compartment, drainage from the vcooling compartment being permitted by an overflow pipe 18 preferably including a trap 19.

An elongated sheet metal container 20 is mounted in uprightv position within the cooling compartment 14 on suitable supports 21 and in spaced relation to the walls of the compartment to provide surrounding air passages 22. The side walls of the container 20 are provided with vertically extending ccrrugations 23 which offer low resistance to the downward flow of air and maybe varied in depth and pitch to obtain the desired cooling area. Within the container 20 is mounted a tubular ice-receptacle or baflle 24 spaced inwardly from the side walls of the container 23 to form a surrounding liquid-receiving space 25, as hereinafter described. The ice-receptacle 24 is open at its top and bottom and is provided with long horizontal notches 26 at its lower edge and long horizontal slots 27 near its upper edge to form liquid passages. An ice hopper 28 has its lower end projecting into the ice-receptacle A24 and has its upper end suitably mounted near the top of the refrig` erator. For convenience in handling the ice-receptacle and vhopper are made separately but, if desired, they may be made integrally `or connected. Above the provision compartment l1 is formed a reserveJ ice compartment 29, the bottom 30 of which forms the upper wall of the provision compartment. The upper end of the baiie`13 is spaced downwardly from the rkwall 30 to 'form an upper air passage connecting the provision compartment and cooling compartment." A'lid 31 is provided to gain` access tothe ice hopper and reserve ice chamber, and the usual provision door 32 is mounted in the front wall of the refrigerator for access to the provision compartment. If found desirable to facilitate cleaning other Well-insulated doors may also be included.

In servicing the refrigerator the ice-receptacle 24 is supplied with broken ice through the hopper 28, sufficient ice being added to fill the hopper. At the same time a reserve supply of ice is placed Iin the reserve ice compartment 29. Suicient water is then introduced into the container 25 to lill the container to a level above the slots 27 in the ice-receptacle 24. One or more overflow openings 33 are formed in the container 2O to determine such level, and any discharge from such openings is conducted through the overiow pipe 18 at the bottom of the cooling compartment. vThe space 25` between the ice-receptacle 24 and the walls of the container 2O Will be occupied by water, and the'water rises to the same level within the ice-receptacle 24, wherein it Loccupies the interstices between the brokenl lthe notches 2G of the ice-receptacle, up-

wardly along the corrugated walls of the container 20, and then inwardly near the upper end of the container through the slots 27 in the baffle. In vthis process the circulating water will assume a temperature approximately that of melting ice (32O F.) and this temperature will be maintained Within close limits until almost all the ice within the baffle has been melted. rIhe latter condition, however, will not be reached until after all the ice in the hopper 28 has descended into the ice-receptacle, so that only infrequent replenishing` of ice is necessary. 1n the intervals between icing the broken ice in the reserve compartment 29 is transferred to. the hopper, preferably before the ice reaches the bottom of the hopper in order to avoid unnecessary splashing and loss of the ice-cold water from the container 20 through t-he overow opening 32. The reserve ice compartment 29 is provided with a drain opening 34 by which water will be prevented from accumulating within the compartment.

In operation, the circulation of ice-cold water within the container 20, as above described, serves to maintain the corrugated walls of the container 20 at a temperature approximately that of the melting icc. A thermo-Siphon circulation of air then takes place downwardly along the outside surface of the vertically corrugated container 20, through the opening 16 at the bottom of the cooling compartment across to the provision compartment 11 and upwardly therein, and thence across to the up er portion of the cooling compartment. l ince the area of the cooling surface remains constant and at a substantially constant low temperature, the circulatory air currents passing through the cooling and provision compartments will remain at an approximately uniform low temperature to properly refrigerate the contents of the provision compartment.

brine for water, but the latter liquid is satisfactory in refrigerators intended for domestic use.

If it is found desirable to exclude liquid from the air spaces of the cooling compartment, this can be accomplished by extending the overflow piping to the overflow opening 33 and drain opening 34.

The invention provides an ice-cooled refrigerator of relatively simple and inexpensive construction, which provides efficient and uniform refrigeration and requires but infrequent servicing.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. ln a refrigerator, the combination of a liquid-receiving container havingheat-conducting walls, and an ice receptacle mounted within said container and providing a surrounding liquid-receiving space between said receptacle and container, said receptacle including side Walls inperforate at an intermediate portion and said space communieating with the interior space of said receptacle at regions spaced vertically'apart by the impei-forate intermediate portion of said side Walls to provide a thermo-Siphon circulation of liquid downwardly in said lice receptacle and upwardly in said surrounding space to cool the walls of said container.

2. In a refrigerator, the combination of a liquid-receiving container having heat-conducting walls, a tubular baffle member within said container including side Walls forming an ice compartment therewithin. and providing a surrounding liquid-receiving space between said side walls and said container, said side walls having an impertorate intermediate portion and being apertured above and below said imperforatelpoition to lprovide for communication of liquid between said ice compartment and liquidreceiving space and to permit a tliermo-siphon circulation of cooling liquid downwardly in said ice compartment and'up- -wardly in said surrounding space to maintain the'wallsof said containerat a low temperature.

-cooling liquid downwardly in said ice compartment and upwardly in said surrounding space to malntain the walls of said container at a low temperature.

i an imperforate intermediate portion and there being communication between said icereceiving space and liquid-receiving space at regions spaced vertically by the imperforate intermediate lportieri of said side walls whereby to establish a thermo-Siphon circulation of cooling fluid downwardly in said ice-receiving space and upwardly along the walls of said container to maintain said last-named Walls at a' lowI temperature.

5. In a refrigerator, the combination of a cabinet having communicating provision and cooling compartments traversed by circulatory air currents, a liquid-receiving container mounted in said cooling compartment and having vertically corrugated heat-conducting walls spaced from the walls of said compartment to form a surrounding air passage, and a baille member within said container forming an ice compartment therewithin and providing a surrounding liquidreceiving space between said baille member and said container, said space communicating with the interior space of said baffle member onl at regions spaced vertically a substantial istance apart to provide a thermo-siphon circulation of liquid downwardly in said ice compartment and upwardly in said surrounding liquid space to cool the walls of said container.` t

6. In a refrigerator, the combination of a container having heat-conducting walls, and a baffle member withinsaid vcontainer forming an ice compartment therewithin and providing a liquid-receiving space between said baille member and said container, said baffle member being imperforate at an intermediate portion and Said space communieating with the interior space of said bale member at regions spaced vertically apart by the imperforate intermediate portion of said baffle member to provide a thermo-siphon circulation of cooling liquid downwardly in said ice compartment and upwardly in said liquid-receiving space to maintain the walls of said container at a lowtemperature. l

7 In a refrigerator, the combination ofv a liquid-receiving container having a heatconducting wall, and a bailie member within said container forming a Wall ofa refrigerant compartment therewitl'iin and said baille member forming with said container wall an interposed liquid-receiving space, saidl bale member being imperforate at an intermediate portion and said liquid-receiving space communicating with the refrigerant lcompartment at regions spaced vertically apart by the imperforate intermediate portion of said balile member to provide a thermo-sphon circulation of cooling liquid downwardly in said -refrigerant compartment and upwardly in said liquid-receiving space to maintain the wall of said container at a low temperature. u

In testimony whereof I alix my signature.

' WALTER ANDREW INMAN. 

